Truck driver Joe Woodard has more than 2 million commercial miles under his belt over his 35-year career, but one road often stands out – Route 24 in Massachusetts, which is “by far one of the most dangerous highways I’ve ever traveled.”

Other drivers – and several recent accidents – back him up.

So far this year, there have been eight accidents involving tractor-trailers on Route 24, including Monday’s accident that killed 32-year-old Stephanie Picher of Raynham.

Since January, the 41-mile road that stretches from Fall River to Randolph has seen rollovers, jackknifes, lost loads and a massive fire after a truck carrying 11,000 gallons of gasoline crashed and caught fire.

“It’s a horror show. It’s terrible,” said Woodard, 58, of Weymouth, who was sitting in his Stop & Shop truck at the service plaza in Bridgewater recently. “There’s nothing that would surprise me out here.”

The roadway has been the scene of dozens of accidents the past two years, prompting a crackdown in the summer of 2012.

But why is it so bad? Woodard said you can’t always blame the road.

Woodard, who has driven all over the country, said motorists drive more aggressively on Route 24 than in other parts of the state, which is a main reason for the accidents.

“Speed is the biggest factor. The cars are speeding down the highway. People aren’t paying attention. They’re texting, they’re talking on their phones. And then they get into a situation where they can’t react fast enough to avoid it,” he said.

Jim Parker, owner of the Parker Professional Driving School in Avon, said he tells his students to be weary of how fast drivers travel on Route 24, which is not a federally designated roadway because of its imperfect design.

“One of our trucks will be doing 55 to 60 and people are going by you like you’re parked,” Parker said. “I think that they travel too fast down Route 24. We explain excessively that you could be the best driver in the world but it’s the people around you.”

Russ Hussey, 59, of Swansea, is not a truck driver and said he drives down Route 24 once or twice a week for work.

“Today (in the afternoon) you could go out there and drive 75 if you want. In the morning or coming home you have to drive 75. You have to drive with the traffic and that’s what the traffic is going,” Hussey said.

State Police Trooper Scott Maguire said cars, not truckers, are the main cause of accidents involving tractor-trailers. Although the driver of a tractor-trailer that flipped and crashed Jan. 27, 2014, while carrying 11,000 gallons of gasoline was cited. The truck burst into flames on a Route 24 northbound exit ramp in Fall River, snarling traffic for most of the day.

Page 2 of 3 - The driver, identified as Lisa M. Korch, 46, of Danielson, Conn., who is employed by J.P. Noonan of West Bridgewater, was cited for speeding and a marked lane violation.

But her incident is more the exception than the rule, police said.

“Percentages show that most of those accidents are caused by cars around these large trucks,” said Maguire, who works in Commercial Vehicle Enforcement. “People don’t like being behind trucks because they can’t see. If a truck is getting off at an exit they’ll speed up around them and cut them off, so they don’t have to be behind the truck on the off ramp.”

Vehicles in a truck’s blind spot can be another factor in crashes, Maguire said.

Most trucks have at least four blind spots, he said: Directly in back of the truck, directly in front of the truck and on both sides next to the truck driver’s cab.

“If you can’t see the driver’s face in one of the mirrors he can’t see you,” Maguire said.

Ernie Dever, 56, of Dedham has been a truck driver for 30 years. He said the onus is on truck drivers to prevent crashes, not the motorists around them.

“The only time you rollover a truck is when you’re speeding or you’re doing something you shouldn’t do like not pay attention. I’ve got 30 years of driving with no tickets and no accidents, and I didn’t do it by not paying attention,” Dever said.

“I don’t consider Route 24 to be a good road. A lot of people cut you off. But you have to pay attention. That’s the bottom line. You’re in control of your truck. You’re in control of your destiny,” said Dever. “You make a mistake, you pay the price.”

Brockton police officer Antonio Randolph, who works in commercial driver’s license enforcement, said trucks have a massive potential for damage compared to a typical two-car accident.

“Just the sheer size of that vehicle alone. A car accident is dangerous but the sheer size of an 18-wheeler can wreak severe havoc,” Randolph said. “Not only does it weigh tons and tons and tons, but you don’t know what it’s carrying.”

Maguire said one way to avoid accidents with trucks is to be vigilant in not staying in their blind spots.

“Stay out of those blind spots. You don’t want to linger in one of those spots. Likely he can’t see your car,” Maguire said.

Page 3 of 3 - Parker said accidents can be avoided if trucks and cars to leave enough stopping distance between each other and slow down.

“Everybody has to take their own driving into account to make the road safer,” Parker said.